Competencies Mastered in the BSS Program

As they complete the 3-course sequence that results in the Behavioral Support Specialist Certificate, students must demonstrate mastery of all of the following competencies:

Defining_Behavior

Strengthening_Behavior

Weakening_Behavior

Measuring_Behavior

Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs)

Behavior Intervention Planning (BIPs)

Monitoring Implementation and Making Data-Based Decisions

Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support

Assessing Classroom Environments

Effective_Instruction

Social Skills Instruction

Maintenance and Generalization

Setting_Events

Legal_Issues

Ethical_Issues

Analyzing System Contingencies

Teaming_and_Collaboration_

De-escalating_Behavior

Defining Behavior                                                                                                                                                                                                     Back to top

·         Distinguishing behavior from non-behavior

·         Distinguishing behavior from its products

·         Stating problems and concerns in acceptable behavioral terms

·         Distinguishing between operant and respondent behavior

·         Distinguishing between public and private events

·         Explaining the A-B-C Model

·         Identifying antecedents and consequences that are related to behavior

·         Identifying how changes in antecedents and consequences can alter the likelihood that certain behaviors will occur

Strengthening Behavior                                                                                                             Back to top 

·         Distinguishing reinforcers from reinforcement

·         Distinguishing positive from negative reinforcers

·         Distinguishing primary from secondary reinforcers

·         Distinguishing contrived reinforcers from natural reinforcers

·         Identifying generalized conditioned reinforcers

·         Identifying the most common types of reinforcers

·         Identifying the impact of contingent presentation on reinforcer effectiveness

·         Identifying the impact of immediacy on reinforcer effectiveness

·         Identifying the impact of size/amount on reinforcer effectiveness

·         Identifying the impact of satiation and deprivation on reinforcer effectiveness

·         Identifying the procedure and effects of continuous reinforcement

·         Identifying the procedure and effects of fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement

·         Identifying the procedure and effects of fixed and variable interval schedules of reinforcement

·         Identifying appropriate and inappropriate uses of contrived, extrinsic reinforcers

·         Identifying appropriate uses of the Premack Principle

·         Identifying appropriate uses of contingency contracts

·         Identifying appropriate and inappropriate features of a token economy

·         Identifying appropriate and inappropriate uses of group reinforcement systems

·         Identifying stimulus control in classroom and everyday situations

·         Distinguishing the properties of discriminative stimuli (SDs and S-deltas) in classroom settings

·         Explaining the technique of shaping and how it occurs

·         Describing the purpose of task analysis

·         Explaining the chaining techniques and how and why they are used

·         Identifying the steps necessary to use Abehavioral trapping@ to promote long-term maintenance of behavior change

·         Identifying classroom and non-classroom examples of stimulus generalization

·         Identifying classroom and non-classroom examples of response generalization

Weakening Behavior                                                                                                            Back to top

·         Identifying extinction in classroom and everyday situations

·         Identifying the problems associated with extinction and their effects on extinction rates

·         Identifying appropriate extinction procedures

·         Identifying examples of punishment in classroom and everyday situations

·         Distinguishing the technical definition of punishment from the common, everyday use of the term

·         Identifying commonly used punishment techniques

·         Identifying the ineffective or inappropriate use of punishment

·         Explaining the effect of satiation on punishment

·         Identifying common side effects of punishment;

·         Explaining how reinforcement can be used to weaken a target behavior

·         Identifying appropriate uses of Differential Reinforcement of Lower Rates (DRL)

·         Identifying appropriate uses of Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

·         Identifying appropriate uses of Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRO)

Measuring Behavior                                                                                                           Back to top 

·         Identifying why we measure behavior

·         Identifying the purpose of a baseline and the criteria for an acceptable baseline

·         Collecting permanent product data and determining interobserver agreement (IOA)

·         Measuring frequency and rate and determining interobserver agreement (IOA)

·         Identifying how to collect duration data and how to calculate interobserver agreement (IOA)

·         Collecting partial-interval data and determining IOA

·         Collecting whole-interval data and determining IOA

·         Collecting time sampling data and determining IOA

Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs)                                                                                   Back to top 

• Conducting an FBA that includes:  
• A description of the participant and setting
• Definitions of the target behavior and the replacement behavior
• Interviews with informants and, when appropriate, the participant
• Direct observational (A-B-C) data
• A testable function-based intervention
• An appropriate measurement system
• A test of the intervention
• Identifying the strengths and weaknesses or limitations of the current FBA data base
• Suggesting potential solutions to issues that may compromise the validity of FBA results

Behavior Intervention Planning (BIPs)                                                                                   Back to top 

• Developing BIPs that include:
• Behavioral definitions (target and replacement)
• Baseline data
• Function of the behavior
• Behavioral objectives
• Intervention procedures
• Data to be collected
• Program review dates
• Personnel and roles
• Emergency procedures
• Evaluating the extent to which the BIP includes strategies for promoting generalization and maintenance
• Identifying additional strategies that might enhance generalization and maintenance

Monitoring Implementation and Making Data-Based Decisions                                                       Back to top 

·    Designing a checklist to assess intervention implementation

·         Collecting and graphing data to evaluate the impact of implementation

·         Determining the effectiveness of the BIP

·         Making data-based decisions about whether to fade, change, or continue an intervention

Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support                                                                                     Back to top 

·         Explaining the goals and assumptions of the schoolwide discipline model

·         Identifying the key components of the schoolwide discipline model

·         Describing common methods of implementing the schoolwide discipline model and of measuring its effectiveness

·         Analyzing a school's discipline system for all students

·         Evaluating a school's discipline system for all students

Assessing Classroom Environments                                                                                                Back to top 

·         Identifying the physical, instructional, and behavioral variables that affect classroom environment

·         Evaluating a classroom's physical arrangement, the components and structure of its instructional program, and the behavioral contingencies that operate

·         Identifying the areas in which the classroom is likely to encounter difficulties and those in which it is likely to operate successfully

·         Designing a written correction procedure for classroom design problems that need improvement 

Effective Instruction                                                                                                                   Back to top 

·         Describing current knowledge about effective instructional principles and methods

·         Identifying components of effective instruction supported by evidence

·         Evaluating instruction based on the principles and methods of effective instruction

Social Skills Instruction                                                                                                              Back to top 

·         Identifying the elements of social skills instruction

·         Sequencing the elements into appropriate social skills instruction

·         Assessing the merits of specific social skills training

Maintenance and Generalization                                                                                               Back to top 

·         Identifying variables that affect maintenance of behavior change

·         Identifying variables that facilitate and interfere with stimulus generalization

·         Identifying variables that facilitate and interfere with response generalization

Setting Events                                                                                                                            Back to top 

·         Explaining the concept of the "setting event"

·         Explaining the influence of setting events on both problem and appropriate behavior.

·         Identifying a setting event that alters the typical interaction among antecedent, behavior, and consequence

Legal Issues                                                                                                                               Back to top 

·         Identifying the purpose of provisions of FERPA

·         Identifying the implications of FERPA with regard to providing behavioral support services

·         Explaining the technical and legal ramifications of basing BIPs on FBA results

·         Explaining the legal provisions that apply when problem behaviors impede learning       

·         Identifying and describe acceptable methods for determining whether problem behaviors impede learning

Ethical Issues                                                                                                                               Back to top 

·         Identifying ethical issues in conducting FBAs and implementing BIPs

·         Applying ethical standards to BIPs in order to assess whether they are ethical

Analyzing System Contingencies                                                                                               Back to top 

·         Applying the A-B-C model to identify and analyze the differing contingencies that can affect people in different roles in a complex system

·         Identifying whether existing contingencies facilitate, delay, or prohibit the effective implementation of behavioral support services

·         Identifying ands evaluating the effects of the system contingencies on the implementation of the FBA and BIP

Teaming and Collaboration                                                                                                       Back to top 

·         Identifying the characteristics of effective collaboration and the common barriers to effective collaboration

·         Identifying the factors that contribute to effective and ineffective team functioning

·         Explaining the elements of the behavioral consultation model and the variables that influence its effectiveness

De-escalating Behavior                                                                          Back to top 

·         Identifying the seven phases of the acting-out cycle and common behavioral indicators for each phase

·         Explaining the function that successive interactions play in the acting-out cycle

·         Identifying the critical steps in a problem-solving plan

·         Identifying the basic steps in a nonconfrontational crisis-prevention procedure